DALLAS, TX.- In 1981, as Andy Warhol dove into his third decade as one of the 20th century's most celebrated artists, he created a special portfolio of screenprints he titled Myths. In a return to his roots as perhaps the greatest of all Pop Artists, he pulled together nine of the figures (plus a self-portrait) that epitomize a century of America's psyche as embodied in its culture of entertainment: Mickey Mouse, Superman, Howdy Doody, Santa Claus and more. Under Warhol's undeniable intuition, these characters are gathered in a conversation that illuminates the foundations of Warhol's appreciation of what is, in a sense, a true American canon, and our country's ideation of itself. Each panel is rich with color, light, and meaning, as each character carries a historical weight that transforms them into legend. These are our great American Myths.

The edition run was tight, and since its creation, finding a complete portfolio has been exceptionally difficult, since each screenprint is a complete work of art in itself and embodies Warhol at the top of his game. In 1986, a complete and pristine portfolio was gifted to a very special hospital on the occasion of its moving to new headquarters; the Norton Children's Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky became the proud steward of this highlight of Warhol's career.

Now this complete portfolio travels from Norton Children's Hospital to Heritage, where it will lead its October 24 Prints & Multiples Signature® Auction and join other offerings of Pop Art and Post-War art significance. Sale proceeds of Myths benefit the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, one of the preeminent neonatal treatment centers in the United States.

The ten portraits of Myths speak to each other with a fresh criticality rarely encountered in Warhol's work since the early 1970s. In the early 1980s, Warhol began the process of reassessing his life, career, and cultural environment: He watched as the 1970s recession gave way to the national economic boom of the ‘80s. Warhol's love affair with his familiar Post-War America was due for reflection and the artist chose to revisit the figures and subjects that had inspired him and played prominent roles in the evolution of the era's Pop Art sensibility.

Here Warhol returns to the mainstays of classic America and captures them in diamond dust. His portrait of himself is indeed a significant inclusion in this portfolio: With his forward glance, he bears witness to what was by 1981 a historicized culturescape. Mickey Mouse, Superman and Howdy Doody emerge not from backgrounds of playful color but rather from a soft and sparkling black space; Uncle Sam's gaze is more gentle than we've previously seen. The Wicked Witch of the West cackles on cue as Dracula gazes out in a manner of spooky and playful old-fashioned genre. Mata Hari, as embodied by Greta Garbo, is allowed her full spectrum of unmitigated glamour. This is the history of the American psyche, via its entertainment, captured in artful amber. Warhol understands that these figures have transcended their origins to become not just brands but entire allegories. The Myths portfolio shows us that Warhol never lost sight of America's pop-cultural foundation and its permanent place in our understanding of ourselves.

"In Myths you'll see some of the great characters that warm your heart as you think about your childhood and about the greatest moments of art and entertainment," says Lynnie Meyer, Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer of Norton Children's Hospital. "The dollars from this sale will directly benefit our neonatal intensive care unit and will give the smallest infants the greatest chance at a healthy life."

At Norton Children's Hospital, the portfolio has been displayed via a gorgeous and dignified installation in the hospital's Scheen Family Conference Center. It made sense that these iconic characters – so familiar to generations of children, their parents and grandparents – could communicate something that endures well past Warhol's lifetime. The artist would have adored having these Myths established as something comforting – a kind of Greatest Hits – in that he himself was comforted by this vision of our history.

"We had an opportunity to meet Heritage and to learn about their work and we're so intrigued by the opportunity to make a difference with this art and to bring those dollars back to support an incredible mission, to improve access to care, and to help open the doors to our center to children from all over the region," Meyer says. "It's bittersweet to lose such a beautiful collection, but we are into the art and science of healing and caring, and the sale of this collection will have so much impact on our ability to do that work. Hopefully, a small piece of the Norton Children's family will go with them."

Says Michelle Castro, Heritage's Vice President of Trusts & Estates: "Heritage was honored to work with Lynnie Meyer and the team at Norton Children's Hospital to help monetize this donated gift of Andy Warhol's celebrated Myths portfolio to benefit its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit."